Role Reversal
by floug977
Summary: What if Jack was the fugitive and Kate was the doctor? An accident brings them together and will they fall for each other?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Okay, so this is my first Jack/Kate fanfiction, it's actually my first LOST fic, so I hope you enjoy it

Author's Note: Okay, so this is my first Jack/Kate fanfiction, it's actually my first LOST fic, so I hope you enjoy it. I started it last night and haven't really been able to stop. So, please let me know what you think. Oh, and there is also a little bit of medical jargon...nothing you haven't heard before, but I don't know pulses and BPs, so I went with my best guess, lol...so if you're a doctor or are in med. school or something, I don't know what I'm talking about, lol...

Summary: What if Jack was the fugitive and Kate was the doctor? An accident brings them together and will they fall for each other?

Chapter 1

Jack was on the run again. He didn't want to be. He never wanted to even start running, but he had no choice. He couldn't go to jail, it just didn't suit him. Jack had problems staying in one place for any long period of time, but Jack decided to come home to LA. He wanted to see his mother. Granted he couldn't understand her. She was the one who had killed his father and had framed it on Jack. She turned him in, causing him to run. He knew that if he tried to prove his innocence, he wouldn't win. His mother had that power over people, and Jack didn't stand a chance in court.

He sat in front of the Shephard estate, watching in disgust. He hated his mother for ruining his life, and no matter how hard he would try, he could never forgive her. She only ever thought of herself. She was the most selfish person he had ever met, and he couldn't understand why.

Jack sat in his rental car for a few more minutes before deciding to drive away. He didn't know where he would go, probably just back to his hotel, but he knew he just needed to leave that place.

Jack didn't bother to look behind him as he pulled out onto the road. He made his way to the hotel and stopped at a busy intersection. Jack's light turned green and as he entered the intersection, he hadn't noticed a speeding car heading straight toward him.

Dr. Kate Austen sat at the reception desk in St. Sebastian's ER. She was working a double shift while covering for one of her colleagues. Kate took a bite of an apple as she studied one of her charts. A five year old girl had come in with massive internal injuries. Kate had lost her on the table. Normally Kate never took any patient deaths hard, but when she lost children, the case always played over and over in the back of her mind. She reviewed her actions once again in her mind. Did she do everything possible? Had she missed anything?

Kate set the chart down with a sigh and looked through the ER. It had been a rather slow day, and she wondered if her shift could be any slower.

Suddenly, paramedics burst through the ER doors, wheeling a man covered in blood on a gurney.

"Give me the bullet," Kate said quickly as she dropped her apple and pulled a pair of gloves out of her pocket.

"John Doe, late 30s, head-on collision. Pulse 90, BP 160/30."

"Okay gently on 3. 1...2...3," Kate said as they lifted the man from the gurney onto the examining table.

Kate worked quickly on the man, trying to assess his injuries. "Sir, can you hear me?"

The man opened his eyes and stared up at her. "Sir, can you tell me your name?" She received no reply, but she just continued working on him. "I'm Dr. Austen, don't worry, you're going to be fine." With that, the man lost consciousness.

Kate worked quickly and efficiently. She couldn't lost another patient with the same injuries.

She had to perform emergency surgery, and the surgery went well. She thought it might be touch and go throughout the night, but he would pull through with no problem. He was the only excitement for her during the long shift so she went to check on him in recovery. He was very handsome, but Kate immediately scolded herself. She promised herself she would never fall for any of her patients or anyone she worked with. It was part of her own ethical beliefs, but there was just something about this man that she was attracted to, something mysterious.

She saw the man open his eyes, and she immediately sat up. "Sir, can you tell me your name?"

"What happened?" he asked, still very groggy.

"I'm Dr. Austen. You were in an automobile accident. You had some pretty extensive injuries, and I had to perform surgey, but I'm pretty sure I pulled you through," she joked and she saw him chuckle. "But I do need to know your name, sir."

"Jack," he answered before giving it even a second thought. Then it crossed his mind that she might know who he was.

"Jack what?" she asked, looking at his chart.

He didn't want to lie to her. He didn't want to lie to anyone anymore. So, he decided he wouldn't.

"Shephard."

"Jack Shephard? You mean - no," Kate said as she began backing away from him slowly.

"No, please, don't be afraid. You don't understand."

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you not the Jack Shephard that killed his father in cold blood?" Kate winced at her tone. She never acted like this with any patient, no matter what the circumstances, but fear was taking her over.

"No, I'm the Jack Shephard who had his life taken away when his mother murdered his father, framing him." Jack saw Kate's face soften. She could tell he was being honest with her. She could see it in his eyes.

"You're telling the truth aren't you?"

"Yes," Jack sighed.

"I'm very sorry," Kate said. "The police want to talk to you. I have to tell them who you are," Kate said, standing behind her ethics.

"Please don't. Please."

"I'm sorry." He saw Kate leave the room and talk with an officer. He grew more nervous as she looked at him through the window.

She walked in with the officer, and Jack was ready to keep his mouth shut.

"Mr. Lewis, the police would like to speak with you," Kate said and winked at Jack.

"Sure."

Kate couldn't believe she had not only broken all of the rules and could probably lose her license, not to mention she had lied to a police officer. She never would have done this, but there was something about Jack Shephard that she sympathized with. There was just something about him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You shouldn't have lied for me," Jack said as Kate was checking on him.

"I know," Kate said, trying to put a stern look on her face.

"Then why did you?"

"I don't know. Why do you run? If you know you're innocent?" Kate asked, sitting in the chair beside Jack.

"You don't know my mother. She's a very powerful woman. And I can't be in jail."

"Um…so, you're healing very nicely. You should be able to get out of here within the next couple of days," Kate said trying to avoid Jack's gaze.

"What's your name?" Jack asked. "What – you lie for me but you can't tell me your fist name?"

"Kate, my name's Kate," she looked at him in the eye and her gaze softened.

"Please don't be mad at me. I just …" before Jack could continue Kate cut him off.

"You do know that I could lose my license because of you," she said coldly placing her arms across her chest. She was trying her hardest to hold her own against him, but there was a look in Jack's eyes that she couldn't resist. There was a certain trust in his eyes that she wanted to give in to him, but her ethics continued to hold her back.

"And who asked you to do that?" he asked.

"I do remember you saying you couldn't go to jail, I believe that qualifies."

"Fine. Then what's stopping you now? They would believe you."

"Maybe I should," Kate said as she began moving toward the door.

"But you won't." Jack's words made her stop in her tracks, her hand hovering over the handle. He was starting to get on her nerves, and she let out a deep huff before turning around.

"I won't, huh? And why's that?" she asked.

"Because you believe me. I can see it in your eyes, Dr … Kate. I know that you trust me," Jack saw again her gaze softening.

Kate didn't want to believe him. Her head was telling her to stick to her ethics. This man was wanted for murder; she couldn't simply go by his word without evidence. On the other hand her heart was going out to him. He seemed to have a certain power over her. She could see the gentleness and sincerity in his eyes. She couldn't believe that this man could ever hurt someone. His eyes pleaded with her and her eyes began to well up with tears. She felt a desperate need to help this man, his life being taken away for an act she felt he wasn't capable of committing.

"I need you to help me, Kate."

"Well, like I said you're healing nicely. With some rest you may be able to leave within the next week," she said taking a hold of his chart.

"No, I need to leave either today or tomorrow."

"What are you talking about? You still need to be monitored. If you leave this hospital you could develop a serious infection."

"Kate please. My mother has eyes and ears all over Los Angeles. She may have already found me. My father worked at this hospital. She's very powerful," Jack grabbed Kate's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kate tried avoiding Jack's gaze by looking down at her feet.

"Please Kate. I need you to get me out of here."

Kate slowly looked into Jack's eyes as tears flowed freely down her face. Her heart was breaking for this man she had just met. A man she knew nothing about except from things she had read on occasion in the local newspaper.

"Okay. Just give me about a half hour okay?"

"Thank you."

Kate gave him a quick smile and a quick squeeze of his hand before she rushed out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Chapter 3:

"Tom, please. I need this vacation."

"Katie, look, I don't get why you can't tell me. If it's your mom just tell me," Tom sat at his desk as Kate stood across from him her hands on her hips. She had figured Tom wouldn't have asked any questions when she had suddenly asked for some time off starting right then and there. She and Tom had gone to medical school together, Tom being a few years ahead of her and also a great mentor.

"Tom, look. Why the questions all of the sudden?" Kate asked trying to turn on her charm.

"Kate, I've never questioned you before, but you're acting strange. If you ever need time off you give me more than two months notice. You usually tell me everything."

"It's just…I'm going on a trip. And, I just need some time to myself. I wasn't planning on telling anyone. Beth is going with me and she actually has a big project going on at work which happened to be during the time we were planning on leaving. And we had to move it up. I'm sorry for the short notice, but she just called me this morning. She booked a flight for tomorrow, and I have to go pack. I'm really sorry Tom, but…please."

"I wouldn't do this for anyone else but you. Consider yourself lucky," Tom said and smiled. "Didn't need to get so defensive, Katie. I knew you had a good reason."

"Thank you Tom. Thank you. I owe you big," Kate said as she gave Tom a hug and hurried out of his office. He barely had time to utter out a welcome before she left.

"Okay look, I'm still trying to figure out a way to get you out of here," Kate said as she was pushing meds under Jack's bed. "How are you feeling?" Kate asked him looking up briefly. He had started looking a little pale in his face and she was just hoping nothing was going wrong or her plan would fail.

"Yeah. I'm just…I'm tired."

Kate checked his temperate and frowned.

"Bad?" he asked.

"Well, not good, but we're still okay. Listen, do you think faking your death would be a bit dramatic?" Kate asked as she stood up from the floor and looking him in the eye. Jack gave her a weird look. "Sorry, I'm new to this whole sneaking out thing."

"Okay well, we're probably not going to be able to do this ourselves," Jack said.

"All right. Give me a minute to think. Do you think walking right out of the hospital will work? You know, the good old fashioned way?" Kate asked.

"Probably not. Kate, before steam starts coming out your ears, do you have any good friends? Friends who wouldn't know anyone here?"

"Um, yeah. Why?" Kate asked slowly, not sure what Jack was implying.

"Claire, I just need you to come to the hospital, okay? Don't ask for me. Ask what room Mr. Joey Lewis is in okay? Pretend to be his wife."

"Kate, what's going on?" Claire asked, unsure of what she was about to do.

"Claire, I just need you to do this for me. Okay? I need you to trust me. Oh, and bring a really big purse with you okay? And Claire, don't hesitate. Get here as soon as you can," Kate said and hung up the phone quickly.

Kate stepped out of the supply closet, making careful she wasn't seen.

"Kate, you're still here?" Tom asked as Kate jumped, hearing him behind her.

"Oh my God, you scared me. Yeah I um…my patient from yesterday Mr. Lewis, his wife is coming in and I want to discharge him. I just…I feel like I owe it to him."

"You were always so good with that," Tom said putting an arm around her.

"Thanks, but I actually have to go. Paper work," she explained as she quickly left Tom's side.

"Yeah. Hey, I'll see you when you get back Katie."

Kate hurried to Jack's room with her paper work and some other supplies she knew she would need.

"Okay, when she gets here we'll discharge you. Change into these. I'll have to stay behind to finish the paperwork, but I'll be about a half hour behind you."

"Hey," Jack interrupted her in her mad dash around the room as he grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "I can't believe you're risking all of this for me. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Kate welcomed him as she began leaning closer to him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

They jumped apart as a nurse opened the door and Claire burst in.

"Joey. Oh my God, are you okay?" Claire exclaimed as she flew into Jack's arms.

Jack and Kate recovered quickly as Jack kissed the side of Claire's head. "Yeah, baby. I'm okay."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. Dr…?"

"Austen," Kate filled in as the nurse moved to Kate's side.

"Dr. Austen, when will he be able to come home?"

"Actually he's healing nicely. And I think he's okay to go home now. Andrea, will you get the discharge orders for me?"

"Kate, he's not ready to go. He's developed a fever."

"No Andrea, I just checked him. The meds are working. He's improving. Mrs. Lewis, just keep a close eye on him and if any infection starts developing or the fever gets worse just be sure to bring him back in," Kate said and Andrea left the room obediently.

"Claire that was impressive," Kate said in awe for a second.

"Thanks, those acting lessons finally paid off. Now, will you please tell me what's going on?"

Kate snapped out of her daze and remembered her task. "Did you bring the bag?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, here," Claire said handing it to Kate. Kate bent to her knees and began putting the medication and other supplies that she had smuggled into the room into the bag.

"Keep an eye out for the nurse," Kate said finishing and handing the bag to Claire. "Look, please just don't ask questions for now. Just take him back to my house and get him settled into the guest room next to mine. I'll be about 30 to 45 minutes behind you. Okay, wait for me. Here Jack," Kate said handing him the bag of clothes as she began unhooking him from the machines.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kate walked into her house about an hour later and took a deep breath. Kate saw Claire put down her magazine and glare at her.

"Thank you Claire, so much," Kate said.

"Katherine Anne Austen, you owe me an explanation. A big one."

"Okay, can that wait like five minutes while I go check on Jack? Please?" Kate asked as Claire crossed her arms across her chest, but Kate was already up the stairs.

Kate knocked on the guest room door and opened it enough to peak her head in.

"Hey," Jack said as he sat up in the bed a little.

"Hey, you feel better?" she asked as he nodded.

"Just tired," he said as she crossed the room and put a hand to his forehead.

"Fevers down. Just rest, let me start a drip for you. Any pain?" she asked as she pulled out a bag of morphine.

"Yeah, enough to keep me awake," Jack said.

"Well this should keep you relaxed. I'll be back to check on you in a bit," Kate said as she finished setting up the IV and left to find Claire.

"Did he tell you anything?" Kate asked as she passed Claire and made her way to the kitchen.

"Oh just that he's Jack Shephard the mysterious man who couldn't be found after he murdered his father. And I almost threw him out of my car until I realized that you were helping him. And I'm sure you probably had a good reason."

"I do," Kate answered as she sipped on a glass of orange juice.

"Really? Because I couldn't think of anything," Claire said. "You better tell me why you decided to harbor a fugitive and brought me into it Kate."

"Claire, I'm sorry. But, he's innocent," Kate tried arguing but Claire didn't buy it.

"Oh he's innocent! Well, that explains it Kate, he's been on the run from the feds for over a year, and you are the most logical person I know. How can you possibly believe him?"

"Claire, I don't know how I know, I just do, okay? Please," Kate argued rinsing her glass.

"You're falling for him aren't you?"

"What? Claire! You know I don't do that," Kate said.

"Well, that didn't stop you from bringing a wanted man into your home."

"You wouldn't understand. There's something about him. When you look into his eyes, I just know. I know he isn't even capable of committing a crime. You need to trust me, Claire. I know what I'm doing. And I need your help. Help me keep this secret. Everyone thinks I'm going on vacation. I'll need your help with getting food and supplies…"

But Claire cut Kate off, "Kate, look, he explained everything to me, but I just can't understand why you need to do this."

"I don't know either. I just know that if I don't, I'll be responsible if he ends up in jail."

Over the next couple of days, Kate watched over Jack as he rested. Without any machines, she knew she needed to monitor him closely. She was glad Claire had finally started coming around. She needed some help taking care of Jack. His body was growing stronger, but she did need help lifting him up and performing exams.

Jack couldn't stop thanking Kate, and she knew that with every passing moment she was falling for him, but she tried keeping those feelings at bay as she knew that once Jack was fully recovered, he would no longer need her and go back running.

"Okay, Kate, what's your favorite vacation?" Jack asked as they both sat on the bed eating Chinese takeout.

"Well, me and my dad used to go hunting. We were really close. You know, when we could do that together, that was when he was the happiest," Kate said with a sad smile.

"Where's your dad now?"

"He's in…Irag. Yeah, I try not to think about it too much. I get a postcard every now and then, but…he's okay," Kate shrugged, trying to convince herself of that and looked away from Jack.

Jack noticed her change and cupped her chin willing her to look at him.

"I'm sure that he's very proud of you. Everything you've accomplished," Jack said gently, seeing tears come to her eyes.

"Thank you Jack, that's…thank you," Kate said. Jack began leaning toward Kate, but she closed her eyes and pulled away. "Don't Jack."

"Kate, I…" Jack pleaded.

"No, once you're better you'll just leave. And if we … I won't be able to … I'm sorry."

"Kate," Jack tried but Kate was already out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Claire asked as Kate was pacing around her kitchen.

"Claire, I don't know what I'm doing. Jack, he's different. I just…he's different."

"He doesn't know, does he?" Claire asked gently, and Kate didn't answer as she tried avoiding Claire's questioning look. "You are already so head over heals for him and you don't even realize it."

"I can't explain it. This feeling."

"Tell him," Claire said and Kate stopped her pacing and faced Claire. "Maybe you'll change his mind. You'll never know unless you do something about it."

Kate sighed and started pacing again. "It's not that simple. Jack…he. He can't stay here. I mean, I know nothing about him, why would he stay and risk being caught for me?"

"I'm telling you Kate, it's fate. For some reason, Jack was in that accident and for some reason you just so happened to be working an unscheduled shift. Tell me that doesn't mean something," Claire gave a look to Kate. She knew Kate didn't believe in fate or love at first sight, but Claire could tell Kate had given the possibility some thought. "Hey, there's our patient," Claire said as she saw Jack appear behind Kate.

Kate closed her eyes tightly before she turned to smile at him.

"Are you wearing a whole in the floor?" Jack asked, joking. Jack had spent two weeks at Kate's recovering. Jack had a hard time with his leg so Kate had begun physical therapy with him, but other than that, Jack was nearly fully recovered. Kate had removed the stitches from the surgery she had performed, and with a little more physical therapy, Jack would be good to go as within the next days.

"Oh, it's nothing. Claire and I were just chatting," Kate said turning to face Claire again.

"I usually pace a lot," Kate said nervously.

Claire raised an eyebrow at Kate's nervousness and smiled to Jack. "Well, I have to get going. I've got work tonight. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Claire…" Kate said following her to the door, "please don't leave me."

"Just talk to him, Kate. Have fun," Claire waved as she closed the door behind her.

"Are you okay, Kate?" Jack asked as he sat down on the couch.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How's your leg feeling today?" She asked leaning down to examine him.

"It's good. Sometimes there's pain after it's in one position for very long, but other than that, it's really good."

"Well then, since you've made a lot of progress, and you've been such a good patient, I might let you free early," she said as she sat across from him.

"Thanks," he grinned. "Kate, I've missed that in you."

"Missed what?" Kate asked.

"The way you used to talk to me, open up to me. I've missed you."

"Jack, please lets not do this," Kate said as she got up, but Jack gently reached up and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Do what?" he asked. "You want to let me in here?"

"I just … I like you a lot, Jack, and I'm afraid to get too close to you. I want to let you in, I want to be able to tell you just about everything, but I can't…" Kate sighed. The truth had finally come out, and Jack gave her a knowing look as he grabbed her hand and she sat back down.

"Well, if we're being honest here, I actually have been exaggerating a little with the leg," Jack confessed.

"Exaggerating how much?"

"About two weeks. I'm sorry, but my leg wasn't too bad. I did need that first week of therapy, but the little pain that usually never shows up…I've always had that since a bike accident I had when I was a kid."

"Why did you do that? I thought you wanted to get out of here as soon as possible?" Kate asked not making a connection.

"Because Kate, I couldn't leave, not yet at least. I couldn't leave you. I just wanted to spend more time with you before I left for good," Jack said as he tried looking Kate in her eyes, but her eyes kept drifting down to their intertwined hands.

"Is that because of what I did for you because…?" Kate was cut off.

"I didn't stay here because of what you did for me. I stayed because I wanted to get to know you, get to be with you."

"You know, if I didn't feel the same way, I'd be really freaked out right now," Kate chuckled as Jack began stroking her hand gently.

"I guess it's good you feel the same way then," Jack smiled and leaned into Kate slowly. Kate closed her eyes in anticipation. She knew what was coming next, and she knew she wanted it to happen, she was just afraid of what would happen next.

Jack's lips met hers slowly in a gentle kiss. Kate broke away slowly, but couldn't contain herself any longer as she brought her lips back to his and deepened the kiss.

Jack leaned Kate back on the couch as he began to lovingly kiss her face. Kate was nervous about what was about to happen, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that she was with Jack. And if tonight was all she had with him, she was going to take advantage of it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Chapter 6:

Kate awoke in her bed and saw Jack beside her. She didn't regret the events of that night; she actually really wanted it to last forever. She and Jack had met in an act of passion and love, and she knew he felt the same way. There had been an obvious connection between them. Last night they had loved each other fully and completely.

She leaned over and watched Jack sleep. He looked so peaceful. She couldn't believe how suddenly he had come into her life and now he'd be leaving. She didn't want him to leave. He could stay with her. She knew some of the best defense lawyers in California. She could easily pay for that and help him out.

She watched as his eyes fluttered softly, and he looked at her. He closed his eyes smiling at her. "Hey," he said.

"Good morning," Kate said as Jack dropped an arm around her and she kissed it.

"I'm really not a morning person," he groaned as he tried burying his face in the pillow.

"I can see that," Kate said chuckling as she laid next to him and kissed his shoulder.

"Do you cook?" Jack asked as he raised one eye out of the pillow.

"Yes. What do you want?" Kate asked lovingly.

"Mmm…I don't know, maybe some eggs and bacon, pancakes, oh and blueberry muffins."

"Jack, that's like an all day cooking affair," she laughed.

"You don't seem to understand. I haven't had a breakfast like that in so long."

"What about in the hospital?" Kate asked.

"What? That crap food? That…does not count. I mean, is that even food?"

"It's not that bad. It's good food," Kate argued.

"Okay, obviously you've eaten there way too many times," Jack laughed.

"Fine, I'll make you breakfast," Kate said giving in.

"Thank you."

"When I'm hungry," Kate finished. "I usually don't even eat breakfast, it could take awhile."

"What do you mean? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You're a doctor, shouldn't you know that?" Jack asked, unbelieving.

"Well, I only eat when I'm hungry."

They sat there for a few more minutes in silence just enjoying their time together.

"Last night was amazing," Kate finally said.

"It really was, wasn't it?" Jack asked.

"I really don't want you to go."

"I don't want to go either, but I have to," Jack sighed.

"But what if you don't?"

"If I don't then I'll be thrown in prison and most likely sentenced to death, thanks Kate," Jack said sarcastically.

"Jack, look I don't want to lose you. I don't want to let you go. You are the best thing that's happened to me in a long time," Kate frowned a little, and Jack grabbed her hand.

"I don't want to lose you either Kate, but … it's gonna happen no matter what."

"Jack, I can get you the best lawyers in the country. They'll believe you. They'll have to," Kate argued.

"Kate, thank you, but I can't let you do that."

"Why not?"

"Because this is my mess. I need to finish it," Jack gently stroked her hand. "I don't want to fight over this. I just want to focus on you right now."

"Where will you go?" Kate asked.

"I was actually thinking about New York. I just need somewhere to lay low for awhile."

"Maybe I could come with you?" Kate asked, her eyes brightening.

"Kate, no. I can't do that to you," Jack said, "you have a life here. I can't be the one to pull you away from that."

"Why does that matter? Jack, I have never felt this way about anybody before. Why is it wrong that I want to be with you?" Kate asked.

"Kate, I can't risk it. I can't risk losing you."

"You won't lose me, Jack. Never," Kate said as tears sprang to her eyes.

"Okay. So lets just have today. And if we're meant to be together, it'll happen."

Jack and Kate spent almost the entire day in bed together, savoring each other, not wanting the day to end. They tried staying up most of the night, but ended up falling asleep in each other's arms.

Kate woke up to find Jack gone. He had left her a note on the pillow that read,

_Dearest Kate, _

_I hate myself for writing this letter, but I know it's something I have to do. This is my way of saying goodbye to you. I didn't want to have a tearful goodbye. That's not how I would want things to end. I'm watching you sleep right now, and you look so peaceful. I really don't want you to hate me, Kate. I hate leaving you, but I promise you that I will come back to you someday. I promise. I love you Kate._

_Love, Jack_

Kate sat back and clutched the note to her chest and let silent tears fall. She didn't know where he was going, but somehow she knew that Jack would keep his promise.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A/N: Okay guys, thank you so much for the best reviews in the world! They meant so much to me and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it! Okay, this is Chapter 7 and my heart totally broke as I was writing so if you guys are emotional, this may be a tissue alert chapter! And I'm sure you guys will probably be mad at me for this chapter, but I felt it was necessary for the story…you never know what surprises I'll throw in for you guys! But I hope you enjoy this chapter and please once again review! I'll hopefully work on chapter 8 as soon as I can!! ENJOY!!

Four months had gone by. Kate had started working a week after Jack left. She had been depressed and spent majority of her time in bed, and Claire had made her get up and go back to work. Tom had welcomed her back, and she hardly was ever at her home. Everything reminded her of Jack so she began to throw herself into her work.

About the same time she had gone back to work, she had received a letter from Jack. He told her he was okay and where he was headed. He asked her not to write to him, but he said that he would call her someday.

So for the next four months that's how they communicated. He sent her letters and also tried calling her once a week. Jack told her that he was thinking about getting an email address so she'd be able to talk to him whenever she needed to, but he thought it might be too risky.

All of their calls lasted no longer than five minutes, even though Jack called on a secure line, he still felt insecure. That was what her life consisted of…waiting to hear anything from Jack.

Little did Jack know that Kate was also pregnant with his child. She had found out she was pregnant about a month after Jack had left. Everyone was quite surprised to find Kate pregnant, but they didn't question her. They all knew she wanted a family and that she had wanted to try other means of conception besides having a husband. She didn't tell Jack. She knew that if he knew about the baby, he'd come back to her and get caught. She'd rather him not know at all. Maybe she would tell him as soon as she was born. Every night Kate would have dreams about she and Jack and also the baby growing inside of her. She saw their family and loved every minute of it. She knew how great a dad Jack would be…someday.

Suddenly a knock interrupted her thoughts. She struggled to get up. Her first months of pregnancy had been rough on her, without having Jack there to support her. The morning sickness had been almost unbearable. Now that the morning sickness was over, Kate ate everything in sight. Her cravings were unbelievable. In the middle of the night she'd wake up and have a craving for onions and jello or some other obnoxious food grouping. She had gained some weight over that month following the sickness, and her bump had started growing.

Kate made her way to the door, wondering who it could possibly be. At first she didn't recognize who was standing in front of her. Suddenly, she gasped as she realized it was Jack. She stood there mesmerized before she flew for the door and threw her arms around him.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked as she pulled Jack inside and closed the door.

"I just couldn't take not seeing you anymore. You are beautiful," Jack said as he touched the side of her face gently.

"Here, sit down," Kate said as Jack took off his wig. For the first time, Kate had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. He was here, he had come back for her, and she suddenly felt obligated to tell him about the baby, but somehow she felt she couldn't. If she did, Jack would want to stay with her, and as much as she wanted him to stay, she knew he couldn't. If she wanted Jack to stay safe, she couldn't risk telling him.

"How are you?" Jack asked.

"I'm good. I've missed you. Are you okay?" Kate asked.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you. I missed you so much. I had to come back to you."

"I'm so glad that you did," Kate said as she leaned closer to Jack.

Their lips met for the first time in four months, and both of them deeply responded to the kiss. Their hands roamed and explored each other, and Kate began to feel guilty. She felt she needed to tell Jack. Not to mention, if she let it get too far, he'd find out anyway.

Jack slid his hands up the back of Kate's sweatshirt. She groaned for him to continue. Just as Jack was moving his hand to Kate's stomach, she stopped him.

"Jack, I can't," Kate said as she grabbed both of his hands and leaned her forehead against his.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" he asked.

"No, no. of course not. I just…I don't think we should."

"Are you okay, Kate? You seem…I don't know."

"Jack, I have something to tell you. And please, don't freak out," Kate said nervously as she grabbed Jack's hands tightly.

"Kate, can you tell me anything. What is it?"

Kate had a hard time looking him in the eye, but it was now or never. She took a deep breath and looked Jack in the eye.

"I'm pregnant, Jack," she said as tears stung her eyes.

"What?" he asked, a joyous look spreading across his face.

"Jack, its…" Kate was cut off by Jack sweeping her up into his arms and planting a kiss to the sides of her face. She didn't know quite how to react. He knew, but she still knew she had to protect him.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked nervously as he released Kate from his grasp and looked at her lovingly, and Kate could only think of one thing to do. Lie to Jack.

"Jack, you don't understand. The baby it…it's not yours," Kate lied. The tears flowed from her eyes when she saw Jack's sad expression.

"What? Kate, I … I don't understand."

"After you left, it was … it was a mistake. It wasn't anything you did Jack, not at all. It was me. I got lonely and I … I didn't mean for it to happen."

"You slept with someone else?" Jack asked unbelieving as he turned away from her and ran a hand through his short hair.

"It wasn't like that Jack, please…believe me. I never meant to hurt you," Kate explained as she pleaded with Jack. She didn't want him to think there had been anyone else, but she needed him to understand that she had to push him away to save him.

"Okay. It's okay, I still…I still want to be there for you. Anything you need, I'll be right here for you," Jack said as he stroked the side of her cheeks. "Okay, we'll do this together. "I will be here beside you no matter what, I promise. I love you, Kate," Jack said and Kate let out a deep breath as he kissed her forehead.

Kate took a few more deep breaths as her tears continued to fall. She tried to compose herself before she spoke again. "Jack, you need to trust me. I love you, but you can't stay."

"No, I don't care. I'll stay, no matter what the consequences."

"I can't let you stay, Jack. I can do this on my own. I'm sorry, but I don't want or need you here. You don't need to risk it for me."

"What are you saying Kate? You don't want to be with me?" Jack asked and Kate could see Jack crumbling right in front of her. Little did he know that what she was saying was breaking her heart as well, but in the end as long as Jack was safe she didn't care. Her world was crashing around her as she pushed Jack away.

"I'm saying that I don't want you to stay, Jack," she said as she held back her threatening tears. She couldn't believe what she was saying. She wanted nothing more than to be with Jack forever, but she couldn't risk losing him either.

"Fine, if that's what you want. I guess it was a mistake to come back here," Jack said as he stood up and started for her door. "I hope you're happy, Kate."

Kate sat there stunned as the tears fell down her face. Before Jack turned the door knob she quickly called out, "Jack, can we still write? Please, I just…I don't want to lose you as a friend. I don't want to lose you."

"Sure, Kate. I'll write to you. As long as you need me to."

She watched as the love of her life walked out the door. She hadn't realized just how much she loved Jack until she had sacrificed her own happiness for his safety and he walked out of her life. She couldn't imagine a life without him in it, and she thought that hopefully one day Jack would understand what she had done for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, I have a feeling that the next couple of chapters may go a little bit on the slow side

Okay, I have a feeling that the next couple of chapters may go a little bit on the slow side. And I apologize for the last chapter, I had several thoughts on how it could've gone which in the end would determine how the rest of the story would fall. And yes, I do have a plan for where this story is headed, and that chapter was absolutely necessary. And I agree, Kate is totally crazy, I would never let Jack go either, but thank you all for the great reviews I'm so happy you all like it and you guys are motivation to keep the story going so thank you, and I hope you enjoy chapter 8!

"Kate, we're going to be late," Claire shouted as she walked through Kate's front door. She looked around and couldn't find here anywhere. "Kate! Kate, I swear, we can't be late for your doctor appointment again. You always embarrass me." Claire shouted as she began making her way up the stairs. "Kate, this really isn't funny."

Claire saw the door to Kate's bedroom closed and when she opened it, she saw Kate curled up in a tight ball on her bed. "Kate?"

"Claire?" Kate asked as she lifted her head off the pillow slowly, and Claire saw Kate's red and tear-stained face.

"Kate, what happened?" Claire asked as she made her way over to Kate.

"Jack was here. I told him about the baby."

"But that's good. I mean, he knows. But what happened?" Claire asked gently, as she took Kate's hand.

"I told him I didn't want him here," Kate choked out a sob as she buried her face back in the pillow.

"You let him go?" Claire asked unbelieving. "The past four months all you've wanted was to have him back, and then when he does come back you tell him to leave? Are you insane?"

"I had to protect him, Claire. It was the only way he wouldn't get caught."

"Does he know it's his kid?" Claire asked. She was angry with Kate. The past months she had seen Kate at her lowest. Miserable, depressed, and most of all annoying. And she couldn't wait until Jack came back into her life. Making her happy again.

"I don't think so," Kate sobbed.

"Okay, I hate to say this, seeing as how you're pregnant and all, but you don't have the right to mope around."

"I don't?" Kate asked as Claire grabbed her arm and made her sit up.

"Nope. You did this to yourself. You made him go away, and yeah I get it was to save him, but you can't be upset about it. Think about it, if you didn't tell him you guys could've had the best of reunions and you could've never told him about the baby. He wouldn't think that you hated him. So, now you're both miserable. So, no, you don't get to mope. So, get up, we're going to the doctor and we are going to find out if this baby is a boy or a girl and then we're going to go shopping and pick names and do all that fun stuff, okay?" Claire asked. Kate stared at her as her face began to soften up and she stopped crying.

"You're right. Thank you Claire. I'll make things right with Jack. That is, if he'll ever talk to me again."

"If Jack cares about you as much as I think he does, I know he'll forgive you. You just will probably have to be a little patient. Now let's go."

Jack sat outside of Kate's house, watching. He couldn't leave, not yet at least. Not until he knew exactly why she was pushing him away. He sat there for hours just watching the house and thinking. He wondered if Kate would ever come out until he saw Claire drive up and enter the house. He slouched down in the seat and waited until he saw Kate and Claire walk out of the house. He could see Claire saying something to Kate, and a small smile creep onto Kate's face as she opened the passenger side door to Claire's car.

He waited until Claire pulled away from the curb to sit up, start up his own vehicle he had rented under a fake name and began following them. He had no idea where they were off to, but he knew that he was going to confront Kate once they got there.

The drive took less than a few minutes. They arrived at the hospital, the same hospital where the two of them had met four months before. Jack recalled the events of that night. How Kate had unselfishly lied for him and how she had helped him escape before his real identity would be known. He wondered what they were doing there, as he followed them into the parking garage.

He parked his car quickly as he saw Claire pull into a parking space a few spaces down from his. He quickly got out of his car and walked to Claire's. He saw Claire get out of the car and saw the look on her face when she saw him.

"Jack, don't scare her," she said quickly before Kate opened the door.

He watched Kate as she stepped out of the car, her eyes on her feet, and she didn't look up until she had seen his feet planted firmly on the ground. She slowly looked up and after what seemed like forever, her eyes met his and she took a deep breath.

"Great, so much for being on time," Claire said sarcastically.

"Claire, could we have a minute?" Jack asked.

"Sure. Kate, I'll wait for you inside," Claire said as she began making her way to the building.

Jack waited until Claire was out of sight until he said something. "I need to know why Kate. Tell me."

"Why what?"

"Why are you pushing me away? This isn't you. We haven't known each other that long, Kate, but I know you. You wouldn't do something like this. Why are you lying to me?"

"Jack, please. Can we do this somewhere…" Kate began as she tried to walk past him, but he stopped her.

"No, we're doing this right now. I need to know if you still care about me before I just give up and walk away."

"I can't believe you think I don't care. I don't care?" Kate asked as tears came to her eyes and she became angry. She knew she had brought this on herself, but she thought Jack would still know how much she cared about him. "How dare you say that to me."

"Well, it's kinda hard to tell when I come back to you after four months and you tell me you're pregnant and that the kid's not even mine. That was a big stab in the back, Kate. I can't believe you would do something like that to me."

"Well, good, because I didn't. The baby is yours Jack. Do you want to know how much I care about you? I love you so much that I can't let you ruin everything by staying here with me. I knew that if you knew about the baby that you would want to stay here and risk yourself and get caught, and I couldn't let you do that. That is why I pushed you away, to save you. So that maybe someday you wouldn't have to help raise your own child while you sit behind some plexiglass," Kate argued. Finally she let the tears fall freely as Jack pulled her into his arms.

"Kate, no matter what happens, this child will never truly know me. If I keep running, I may never get to see the baby grow up, but I still want to be there for you. Okay? I will leave this up to you, if you want me to stay."

"I can't let you stay, Jack," Kate sobbed, "but I love you so much."

"I love you too, and don't worry, you're not going to lose me. Let's make a deal. I promise I'll leave, I'm not going to go far, just maybe to Nevada or something, and then I promise I will come back at least once a month to see how you're doing. I can't just totally walk out of your life."

"It's a deal," Kate said as Jack gently touched the sides of her face and pulled her in for a mind-blowing kiss. They stood there for a few moments being drawn into each other, just enjoying the time that they had. He held her against him for a few more moments, and she leaned her head against his chest, listening to the deep rhythm of Jack's heart.

"Listen, I have to go. I have a doctor appointment, but if you wait here, I can tell you what we're having," Kate said with a smile on her face.

"You're not going to tell me we're having an alien baby or something are you?"

"Cute," Kate said not amused. "Or you can go back to my place and wait for us, it shouldn't take too long," Kate said as she handed Jack a key.

"I think I'll go back and wait for you, just in case hospital security finds me or something," Jack smiled and Kate leaned up to capture his lips again. They got carried again for another moment before Kate pulled away and Jack continued kissing his way down to her neck.

"Okay, I really need to go inside now. Claire hates it when I'm late," Kate sighed as she tried to playfully push Jack away.

Jack pouted at her, and she shot him a playful look as she blew him a kiss and made her way to the building.

Jack watched her as she safely walked in before he made it back to his car and drove back to Kate's house. He couldn't be happier about what had just happened. He knew Kate was pushing him away for some reason, but the news that the baby was in fact his was enough to make him happy for the rest of his life. No matter what happened.

A/N: Let me just say I so enjoyed writing this chapter, and the last part was totally unexpected. It kinda just popped into my head, and I went with it, and I'm glad I did, I figured if we didn't have a confrontation between the two of them, it would have come eventually, but I think it worked well here.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A/N: I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update. Between work and some other things I have going on right now, I've been so busy, and it's been hard to write. This chapter was also really hard to write, just because I wasn't sure where I wanted to take it. There is also kind of a time leap in this chapter, but not very big at all.

Chapter 9

Kate walked into the office with the biggest smile on her face and she saw Claire waiting for her. Kate smiled at Claire as she gave her a questioning glance. Kate only smiled a response as Claire followed her.

"I take it went well," Claire guessed.

"Well, you know. Everything is good now. He's going back home to wait for me. And we made a deal, and I am just happy it's all fixed," Kate said as she let out a happy breath.

"Well, you're lucky he stuck around to find out, Kate. They already called you," she said as she took her back to an examining room.

"Claire, are you okay? You seem kinda…weird today," Kate asked after she had changed and sat on the examining table.

"Nothing, it's just Thomas. Kate, I'm pregnant too. Just found out, I'm not…it's only been a couple of weeks, maybe a month, but he's leaving me."

"Oh Claire, I'm so sorry. You're not going to be alone, don't worry."

"Kate, I want to go back to Australia. I don't want to leave, but I was thinking maybe you could come with me. I don't want to go through this alone."

"You're not going to, and I think a trip to Australia would be a great idea," Kate lied. She didn't want to leave her home or her job. Or Jack, no matter where he would end up.

Jack paced the floor around Kate's living room waiting for them to come back from the doctor appointment. He didn't know how he could live the next couple of months like this, just waiting for word from Kate about how she or the baby were doing. He still couldn't believe he was going to be a father. He was incredibly scared, but something inside of him told him that no matter what happened, he would love the baby and be there to watch he or she grow up.

He heard the door unlock as Kate and Claire stepped inside. Jack rushed to them and saw Kate grin at him.

"It's a girl," she said simply before Jack picked her up off the ground into his arms. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and he put her back down. He kissed her lips quickly, not trying to get carried away with Claire there.

"Jack, I have to talk to you," Kate said as she grabbed his hand and led him into the kitchen.

"What is it?"

"Claire's pregnant. She wants to go back to Australia, and she wants me to go with her," Kate said simply as she was trying to avert Jack's gaze, not really wanting to see his reaction.

"Why Australia?"

"It's where she's from, and I feel like I have a duty to go with her. After everything she has done for me, I owe it to her. You can come with us. No one will know you're there."

"For how long, Kate? I mean, I've never been very good at the running thing, it's only a matter of time before someone would realize who I was." Jack sad sadly. "I think it would be best if I stayed here. I'm sorry, Kate. I just…I love you."

"I love you too, and I understand. We'll be back, I promise," Kate said as she fell into Jack's embrace and laid her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. She wanted to hold onto that moment forever, but she knew that in a couple of days he would be gone again. "How long do we have until you have to leave again?"

"I think I can spare a couple of days. Don't worry, everything is going to be okay."

Jack and Kate spent the next week together. They never went out and did anything, just stayed in the house, enjoying each other and seeking comfort in their embraces. Kate was sad to see Jack go, but the day after he left she was leaving with Claire for Australia. Kate was trying her best to be positive for Claire, but she wasn't keen on going to Australia. Not to mention, the baby was going to be born in five months, and she didn't want her baby girl to be Australian.

"Kate, are you ready?" Claire called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Kate said as she zipped up her suitcase, and lifted it off of the bed. She then felt a sharp pain in her stomach. The baby doing summersaults again. That had been happening a lot lately, but she didn't feel like anything was wrong. The baby was just like her…active. She took a deep breath and continued down the stairs to where Claire stood.

"Kate, if you don't want to come, you can just say so," Claire said as she saw the look on Kate's face.

"No, I want to come. I need to get away, get my mind off of things. Besides, I don't want you to be alone in all this. You were there for me when I found out I was pregnant, and I want to be there for you."

"Thanks," Claire said.

Kate and Claire had found a small apartment for rent and spent the next two months living there. Kate was now six months pregnant, and loved every minute of it. She had found a great doctor who she liked. When Kate first arrived in Australia, there had been a small scare with the baby. Kate had been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, and she was placed on bed rest for a few weeks, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle, at least not when it came to the health of her child. Kate finally became comfortable with the idea of Australia, although she missed her home and she missed Jack. She heard from him once a week, and Jack even mentioned he would come to Australia, but Kate insisted that it would be too risky for him, and that she was fine.

Claire was planning on seeing her mother that day, and Kate planned on doing some sightseeing. Kate again had pains throughout the night and woke early in the morning. She made her way to the bathroom and as she went to shower, she felt something strange and saw blood trickling down her leg. She immediately felt energy draining from her as the blood continued. She called out for Claire quickly, she was scared and she didn't know what was happening. All she wanted was to protect her baby, but for some reason she knew that was going to happen.

"KATE!" Claire gasped as she came rushing in and over to Kate. "Oh my God."

"Claire, you need to call an ambulance. It's … the baby," she began breathing heavily just as her eyes began rolling back into her head.

"Kate, stay with me. Come on, come on Kate." Those were the last words Kate heard before she had slipped into unconsciousness.

Kate awoke slowly and began noticing her surroundings. A white room, with flowers on the nightstand, and she was dressed in a gown. She looked over and saw Claire sitting in a chair beside her, sleeping.

As if feeling eyes on her, Claire stirred and saw Kate, and smiled. "You're awake."

"What happened?" Kate asked, but she already knew the answer. "Something happened to the baby. Is she okay?"

"They had to do a C-section Kate. To save her. She's alive. She's in the NICU. I'll go and get a nurse, and see if we can go and take a look at her," Claire said as she grabbed Kate's hand and smiled at her.

Tears sprang to Kate's eyes. She had assumed the worst, but hearing that her baby girl was alive was all she needed to hear. "Claire, she was born really early, I mean…is she going to be okay?"

"The doctors haven't told me much. Let me go get a nurse," Claire said gently as she rose from the chair and left the room.

Kate let out a deep sob when Claire left. She couldn't believe what had happened. She knew her pregnancy was high risk since being on bed rest, but she never expected this to happen. The worst part of the whole thing was that Jack wasn't there with her. She knew how much he wanted to be there for her, especially when the baby was due to be born, but now…she didn't know how she could make it through without him. Their daughter was very under-developed; she could still be in very great danger. This was one time Kate wished she could push the doctor side of her away, but she couldn't help it. All she wanted to think about was her baby girl, before she jumped to any conclusions.

Claire then came in with the nurse, bringing a wheelchair. Kate was nervous as they made their way to the NICU. The nurse told Kate she wouldn't be allowed in yet since she had just had major surgery, they wanted her to be a bit more heeled before she went in to see her daughter. The nurse prepared her, telling her there were many tubes and not to be frightened. Kate had always been used to that, but nothing could prepare her for seeing her little girl, hooked up to so many machines. From where she stood, she couldn't even see her precious face, but she could tell she did have a lot of hair. That, she guessed, had come from Jack. Kate gently leaned forward and placed her hand on the glass, almost as if she could reach in and gently stroke her daughter's arm. She smiled through her tears as she watched her small chest moving up and down.

She stood there for what seemed like hours, just watching her. She didn't want to leave her baby alone, she needed to protect her from everything. That was her job. She felt responsible enough already that her baby had to go through this suffering, she wasn't going to let anything else harm her.

"Kate, you should go back, you need to rest," Claire said gently, as she stood behind Kate supporting her.

"Claire, I can't leave her. She needs to know that I'm here," Kate said as her eyes never left the glass.

"It's okay, I'll come back. I'll be here for her, but in order for you to actually get in there and see her, you need to rest. You're right, she needs you, but you need to take care of yourself first. Don't worry, I'll be here, and if anything happens, I will make sure you get in there to be with her, okay?"

"Okay," Kate nodded at Claire's reassurance as she sat back down in the wheelchair. She quickly kissed her fingers and touched the glass one last time before Claire wheeled her back to her room.

Up Next: Kate contacts Jack…and naming the baby!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Chapter 10:

Kate laid her head back on her pillow, trying to get some rest. She had barely gotten any sleep since she had seen her baby girl. She was getting restless, and she wanted so badly to go back and see her baby, but she knew she couldn't. Through the surgery, even Kate had had some problems as she had hemorrhaged. The doctors had come and explained everything to her, and they said that if she did have any more children, it could prove to be difficult again. That scared her most of all. Although she had her little girl, she knew that if she and Jack ever had the chance to be together, they would definitely want more children, no doubt about that. Especially if their little girl didn't pull through this, she didn't know how she could go on from this. She tried not to think about it as she tossed in the uncomfortable bed once more.

She wasn't sure when exactly she had dozed off, but she fell into a deep sleep. She was in the middle of a pleasant dream when something shook her awake. She opened her eyes with a jolt and noticed that no one was there in the room with her. She could have sworn that someone had gently touched her arm to wake her. She suddenly felt a deep pit in her stomach, something was wrong. Something along the lines of mother's intuition. She suddenly felt as if her baby needed her, something was calling her.

Kate immediately pressed her call button so a nurse could come to her. A nurse came rushing in and asked what was wrong.

"Please, get me a wheelchair. I need to see my daughter."

"Ms. Austen, please, nothing is wrong with your daughter. I promise you. Just rest."

"No. I will not rest or sleep until I see her. Take me to her," Kate demanded. She was going to make sure that her baby was okay, no matter what it took.

"Ms. Austen, you're in no condition to…"

"I don't give a damn about my condition. I can't explain it, but I just know that something isn't right, and I just need to get to her. Please, just this once. Please," Kate pleaded as tears stung at the corner of her eyes.

"Okay, but just this once. And we're coming right back here," the nurse said and Kate nodded and waited for her to come back.

The nurse wheeled her to the NICU and Kate found Claire asleep in a chair outside by the window Kate had stood at earlier in the day. Kate gently touched Claire's knee and she woke up.

"Kate, what are you doing here?" Claire asked, alarmed at seeing Kate out of her room.

"I just…I felt like something was wrong. I can't explain it right now. Is the baby okay?" Kate asked and before the nurse could stop her she stood up out of the wheelchair and peered in the window. There she saw her precious baby surrounded by four people. It looked like two doctors and two nurses. She lifted her hand to her mouth to stifle her cry, as Claire stood up behind her. Kate leaned onto Claire for support as she let the tears fall as she watched them work on her baby.

"Can you see what's going on?" Claire asked the nurse and she reluctantly went inside. Claire saw the nurse talking to the workers and walk back outside.

"Ms. Austen, sit back down so I can tell you what's going on," the nurse said. Kate did as she was told and looked at the nurse intently, not believing that something could be seriously wrong. "She caught an infection. Her organs aren't developed enough to full fight it off yet, but they're doing everything that they can, you have to believe that. She's fighting. Her chances are getting better."

"Can I stay with her?" Kate asked as she choked back a sob.

"Just for a little while, but then I want you back in your room. You need to get your rest too," the nurse said and walked away.

Claire sat back down next to Kate and took a deep breath. "Kate, I'm so sorry, I just…I was tired, and I fell asleep. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. You're human. She'll be okay, right? She has to be. I don't know what I would do without her. She's my life. I can't live without her, she is what keeps me going from day to day." Kate held her head in her hands, and she felt Claire gently soothing her by rubbing her back.

"She can make it through this. If she's anything like her parents, she'll be just fine," Claire assured her. "Right now, she needs her mommy, and people who love her, and that's what she's got. And if that has anything to do with it, she can make it through this."

Kate sat there throughout most of the night watching her little angel as the doctors finally stepped away from her, and she could once again see the rise and fall of her small chest. One of the doctors came out again and explained the situation to her, and told her that her daughter's chances were slim. Her organs were severely under-developed, and although she was being given antibiotics, her immune system was not strong enough to fight off an infection that strong. They apologized to her, but Kate was not going to have any of it. She believed in her little girl, that she was in fact strong enough, and that she would be able to fight off the infection, it was just a matter of time.

Kate spent the next couple of days in the hospital recovering. She asked not to be released, she felt too weird if she was to be leaving the hospital without her daughter. So they had agreed to keep her there, until she began to improve.

She visited the baby every day. She hadn't yet chosen a name for the baby, she thought about it, but she thought that would be something that she and Jack could share, when she finally got a chance to talk to him again.

Claire walked into the room and pulled out a large tub of Ben & Jerry's out of her purse. Kate smiled at her, gratefully. With Kate in the hospital, she finally realized just how bad the hospital food could get.

"Thanks," Kate said as Claire handed her the ice cream and a spoon. Kate immediately dug in and let out a sigh. "Oh, it's good."

"Good thing you're sharing," Claire said as she pulled out a spoon and took out a scoop. "It is really good," she said smiling and took another bite.

"Did Jack call?" Kate asked after another moment.

"I haven't heard anything. No message. I'm sorry," Claire said. "Maybe he's just not somewhere where he can call."

"I know. He'll call. I know he will. If he feels the same way I feel about her, he'll know that something went wrong."

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll come right away."

"Thank you, Claire. You've been so great this last week, and I can't thank you enough. I haven't even asked you how you are. You and the baby," Kate said.

"We're good. Thanks for asking. I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'm not sure when I'll get here, but I'll be here. Well, you enjoy this, I have to go check on your daughter now, time for my shift. I'll be back later," Claire said as she laid down her spoon and left the room.

Kate took a few more spoonfuls of the ice cream before there was a knock on her door, and she saw someone come in out of the corner of her eye. She just figured it had been one of the doctors, coming to check on her again, so she tried hiding the ice cream.

"No need to hide that, I heard it's good for you," a voice very familiar said to her.

She smiled and looked up, knowing exactly who it was. "I'm so glad you're here," she said as he made his way over to her and sat down on her bed, taking her into his arms. Jack was finally there. She knew he would come. She thought for a moment, that she was sure now that Claire had talked to him earlier and had told him what had happened, and that was why he was there with her now. Tears came to her eyes once more and she held onto him tightly.

"I've missed you so much," she whispered as he kissed the side of her head, holding her face in his hands and looking at her, tears coming to his own eyes.

"You have no idea," he said. "It's been torture."

She just smiled at him and laid her head on his shoulder again, once more, never wanting to leave him embrace. He heard Kate grimace. Her incision was still healing, and she kept aggravating it every time she sat up. He helped her lay back against the pillows, and just held her hand.

"So, I talked to Claire. She told me what happened, and I'm sorry that I couldn't be here for you, and for the baby. That's all going to change, I promise. I'm going to go back to the states, and have a trial. I can fight it, I know I can. And I'll come home to you," Jack said.

"As much as I love that thought, it's not going to happen. You told me yourself that your mother is so powerful, I don't want you to give it up and never see me or our little girl again," Kate said softly, hoping to not hurt Jack's feelings.

"You're right," Jack said. "But I promise, I'll still be there."

"I know you will be," Kate kissed him on the lips and then lingered there, her forehead against his. "You should go and see her."

"You mean you haven't named her yet?"

"I was waiting for you. Go and see her first, and then we can talk about it."

Jack kissed Kate's hand and left her room. He made his way to the NICU and saw Claire standing out side looking in. He came up to her, and she looked over at him and smiled.

"Thanks Claire," Jack said.

"You're welcome."

"Which one is she?" Jack asked, peering through the window next to her. He saw Claire point the baby out to him, and he saw all of the machines, but he didn't focus on that. He focused on her tiny face, her tiny hands and feet, the small heart beat and the hair on her head. "She's beautiful. She's Kate for sure."

"Kate said she looks like you," Claire said laughing to herself.

"She's going to be okay, right? I mean, you said there was an infection, but it'll get better. She'll get better and be able to come home soon?"

"They don't know, Jack. She's fighting, but she's really tiny. They just don't know yet," Claire said gently. "Kate refuses to leave without her. So, I can only hope that she gets stronger. I know with you two here, she knows it. She can feel you guys, and that's all she needs."

"Thanks Claire," Jack said as he studied his daughter one last time before making his way back to Kate's room.

He walked inside and saw Kate smiling at him. "She's beautiful," he said as he sat on the bed next to her.

"I know," Kate said. "Now, Mr. Shephard, since you are finally here, we have some work to do. She needs a name, I can't just keep calling her baby all the time."

"Well, you could. Although she may hate you forever," Jack chuckled and Kate hit him in the arm.

"Okay, so I've been thinking about names for awhile, and I thought maybe we could give her your initials," Kate said.

"Why?" Jack asked, confused.

"Well, I mean, since you might not always be around to watch her grow up, it would be nice. Don't you think so?" Kate asked. Her feelings weren't hurt, she just thought Jack would be a little keener on it.

"I'm not dead, Kate. I'll just be gone for a little while. I'll be back," Jack said and Kate agreed.

"Okay, well what were you thinking?" Kate asked as she looked at Jack. She could tell he had thought about it before, probably since they had found out they were having a girl.

"I don't know, I've thought about it a little. I kinda like the name Ruth."

"What?" Kate asked, wondering if she had heard right. "Ruth?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, no," Kate said quickly. "Ruth is just…too old. She'd hate you," Kate said, pointing that out to him, and he nodded.

"How about this, we each make a list of the names that we like and then if any match that'll be her name," Jack said.

"Okay," Kate said and shook his hand. They spent about a half hour making their lists, and came up with several names. They decided each would read down their list one at a time, to see which ones they liked best. Jack went first.

"Okay, we have…Grace, Olivia, Hannah, Tess, and Audrey," Jack said proudly after reading off his list.

"Hmm…okay, my list…Abby, Ella, Jaden, Mackenzie, and Audrey," Kate said slowly, knowing that Audrey was the one match.

"You really like the name Audrey?" Jack asked, a smile coming across his face.

"I really love it. I think it suits her," Kate said as she smiled back at him.

"I do too," Jack said. "Okay, so her first name is Audrey, what about a middle name?"

"Well, I know you don't like this idea, but what is your middle name?"

"Ryan. Yours?" Jack asked.

"Ann," Kate answered. "Again, another old name," Kate smiled.

"I've always liked the name Riley. If you really wanted an initial," Jack offered.

"Riley! I like that. Audrey Riley Shephard."

"Where did the Shephard come from?" Jack asked, surprised.

"Well, since you helped make her, I just figured you know, that she'd have your last name. That's pretty natural," Kate said sarcastically, laughing.

"I know, but…won't people be suspicious if her last name is Shephard?" Jack asked.

"I wouldn't worry about it, no one knows we know each other whatsoever. And no one will. I mean, if you don't want her last name to be Shephard, it's okay, we can use Austen," Kate offered.

"No, I would love for her last name to be Shephard, but what will you tell everybody?" Jack asked, wondering. He didn't want there to be any suspicion on Kate.

"I'll just tell everybody that was the last name of the sperm donor, and it just seemed appropriate. Besides, she's my daughter, I can name her whatever I want," Kate argued, laughing once more.

"Audrey Riley Shephard, I really like it," Jack said as he kissed Kate. "I don't think I've seen you this happy since I got here."

"It's been so hard without you, Jack, and I know you'll have to leave again, but I'll just hold onto this for awhile. And as long as Audrey is okay, I'll be able to get through anything," Kate said.

"Kate, I know this has been hard on you, and I promise, it will change. And I love you with all of my hard, and I make that promise to you. I will fix things, and I will come back. I promise."

"I know you will," Kate said as she brought a hand up to cup Jack's face.

"Kate, I really love you. And when I can come back for good, will you marry me?"

Kate gasped as Jack pulled out a little black velvet box from his pocket. He opened it and Kate closed her eyes as she began to cry.

"Of course I will," Kate said as she hugged Jack and as they pulled away he pulled the ring out and slipped it onto her finger.

"And I will keep this with me forever. Your promise. I love you," Kate said as she kissed him.

With Jack's promise that one day they would be together and get married and also the hope of Audrey's improvement, that would be what would keep her going from day to day.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

A/N: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been trying to enjoy some time off before I have to move back to college, and it's been…well, more than relaxing, I've been really lazy. But here's chapter 11, and I promise that chapter 12 should be written a lot faster, and if not I'll have special treats…2 chapters at a time instead of 1, but we'll see, I don't make any promises about that…yet, lol! Enjoy!!

Chapter 11:

7 Months Later

Surprisingly, Jack had stayed in Australia for a good amount of time. He had moved into the house Kate and Claire had been renting, and they had all become a small family.

Audrey's health began improving and after a few more close calls, she was allowed to go home when she was 4 months old. Kate began wearing her engagement ring on a chain around her neck, and Jack tried remaining under the radar while he went anywhere in public, and so far no one ever recognized him. He usually gave a false name, but they hadn't met many new people in Australia, so there were not that many people who knew who any of them were.

Jack tried spending as much time as he could with Audrey. For that, Kate was grateful. She knew that someday, she and Claire would want to go back to the United States, and she knew wherever she went that Jack would follow, but she never knew how long it would be until they could finally be together and get married without having to lie and sneak around about it. Audrey grew very fond of Jack, and the first words out of her mouth had been dada. Sometimes Jack spent even more time with her than Kate did. Kate had decided to get a job at the hospital while they stayed in Australia. It was enough to make ends meet.

Kate walked through the door after a very stressful day and saw that Jack was sitting on the floor playing with Audrey. Kate immediately sat down on the couch and blew the hair out of her face. Jack picked Audrey up into his arms and stood in front of Kate.

"Bad day?" he asked as Audrey began playing with the stubble around his cheeks.

"I had a total of 20 patients today, and do you want to know how many of them died?" Kate asked, looking up at him.

"Zero?" Jack guessed, but he knew that wasn't the right answer.

"Hm…not quite. 15 of them died. I feel like the queen of death or something," Kate said as she ran a hand through her hair. "I'm like a doctor version of Jack the Ripper."

"I'm sorry," Jack said sympathetically as he sat down next to Kate, and Audrey reached for her mother. Kate smiled, realizing that she wouldn't trade the life she had for anything.

"It's okay. It's not so much that I blame myself, it's when you have to tell their family or their friends that the person that they are close to, that they love is never going to be there ever again. They won't be coming back," Kate sighed. "That's the toughest part."

"I can't imagine what it must be like," Jack sighed. "But, everyone is going to experience it. We're all going to die someday, Kate, whether we like it or not."

Jack saw that Kate was beginning to choke up as she looked down at Audrey. Jack could sense that Kate was one minute away from a breakdown. Kate stood up abruptly and announced, "I'm going to go put Audrey down for a second, I'll be right back."

Jack sat there wondering if he had said the wrong thing. Very rarely did Kate ever get upset by something he might have said, but today he thought he might have hit a nerve or a soft spot. His one fear was that Kate wouldn't open up to him about any of the difficult times she'd experienced. Their relationship was very loving and caring, and very rarely did they have to comfort each other over something such as a patient dying. The only time that had happened was after Audrey had been born.

Kate returned and sat down next to Jack, grabbing his hand. "A woman came in today and she was 8 months pregnant in active labor. Something went wrong she started bleeding badly. I checked the fetal monitor, the baby was already gone. I didn't get any heartbeat, stillborn. Before I knew it she was unconscious. I had to save her and the only way I could do that was to do a c-section, get the baby out and stop the bleeding." A few tears fell from her eyes.

"So what happened?" Jack asked gently as he rubbed Kate's back.

"I got the baby out. I saved the mother, and then I had to tell her that her baby girl was dead. And I just kept thinking that could've been Audrey. I just love her so much I can't picture my life without her. I can't imagine what it's like for this woman now. I mean, I experienced some of that with Audrey, but… I'm just not used to this. Before I never really experienced the emotional side of life and death until I met you" Kate had to stop, and she looked at her hands in her lap.

"I'm so sorry, Kate. And I felt the same way. Not knowing if Audrey would be okay, it nearly killed me," Jack said as Kate began to sob. He then took Kate into his arms, comforting her.

A knock on the door interrupted their intimate moment, and Kate looked up confused and wiped away her tears. She saw Claire making her way to the stairs to get the door, but Kate managed to stop her.

"I've got it Claire," Kate said as she composed herself before opening the door.

"Dr. Austen, Detective Mars, may I come in?" a man she didn't recognize showed her his badge, and as she looked over at Jack, she saw him stand up from the couch.

"Of course," Kate said as she opened the door, making room for him and Jack stood to face them.

"Well well Shephard. It's been so long. You gonna resist arrest?" he asked as he made his way over to Jack, putting him into handcuffs.

"What is going on here?" Kate asked as she stopped Mars from dragged Jack out the door. She placed her hands over Jack's handcuffed ones, and she could tell that he and Mars had a history, something that she didn't know about. She looked down at his hands and saw they had already started turning red from the forcefulness that Mars had used.

"He hasn't told you? Come on Shephard, we have a flight to catch," Mars said as he led Jack out of the house. Jack took one last look at Kate before walking out the door, and Kate looked at him sadly.

Kate looked up at Claire quickly before grabbing her keys quickly. "Watch Audrey for me. I've got to follow them," Kate said before rushing out the door.

Kate couldn't believe what was happening. How could Jack have been caught? They had been so careful, she couldn't understand how someone would even know that Jack was in Australia. She just focused on following Detective Mars' car, and after a short drive, she followed them inside.

"Wait here," Mars told her. He knew that she was following him the entire time, and he took Jack inside, and she watched him until he was out of sight. She sat down for a few minutes before she saw Mars come back out to her. "Follow me."

Kate followed him to his office and sat down in front of a desk.

"Please just tell me what is going on," Kate said.

"Let's make a deal. Answer some of my questions and I'll tell you everything."

Kate took a deep breath before answering. "What do you want to know?"

A/N: Well, that seemed like a good place to finish. I needed something to continue to write, the last couple of chapters I got so stuck, so now I have some motivation, and it leaves you guys with an awesome cliffhanger! Thanks for all the reviews to come and hopefully many more!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Chapter 12:

Kate felt very uneasy with the detective. She had no idea the questions that she would have to answer, but the main thought in her mind was whether or not she should lie for Jack. he had mentioned to her several times that when he went back to the United States that he would finally come clean and give himself up, she wondered if now was the time it was going to come out in the open.

"You are aware that the man that was in your home was Jack Shephard. He is wanted for murder in the United States," he asked her. She didn't like the feeling of being interrogated, but she felt that if she wasn't honest with him that she would also end up in jail. At this point, Jack wasn't the only person on her mind as she thought about Audrey's future. She couldn't risk lying and jeopardizing Audrey her mother.

"Yes, I am," she said honestly.

"And how do you know Jack?"

"I met Jack about a year ago. He was a patient in the hospital I worked at."

"That's all?" he asked. Kate didn't appreciate the attitude he was taking with her, and she knew that she wouldn't give any specific answers to him unless they were very specific questions.

"Well, if you were a little more specific with your questions, you might get some more information," Kate fought back and the detective smiled back at her.

"So, when you treated him in the hospital, what exactly happened, and please…elaborate."

"He was in a car accident, I performed surgery on him. He told me who he was and I didn't believe him. The police came in to talk to him, but he gave a different name, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to believe," Kate lied. She figured she could come up with a little fib that was believable.

"So, when did you find out that Jack was actually telling you the truth?"

"I had discharged him from the hospital and he had followed me to my home. He confronted me there," she didn't want to give away too much information that would lead to suspicion. She was just making up a story as she went along, and she could see that the detective may not totally believe her story, but she knew that if they questioned Jack as well, that he would never give her up.

"What did he confront you about?" the detective asked.

"He wanted help, see if he could stay with me as he healed. Get himself off the streets. I told him that it went against all of my morals and ethics, and he understood. He was very sweet about it. He also explained to me that he's completely innocent. He told me the whole story."

"Would you mind telling me the story?"

"Would you believe me if I told you the story?"

"Well Dr. Austen, Jack Shephard is a very wanted felon. I would need to hear it from him as well, we'll see. There's a lot to take into consideration. But, I'll believe you."

Kate took a deep breath. This was her chance to defend Jack, to get his story out there, to let them all know that he was innocent.

"Jack is innocent. He told me that he was framed, by his mother. He said that one night he had come home from work and his mother wasn't anywhere to be seen, but he found a trail of blood leading up to the stairs. There he saw his father lying on the ground. Apparently his mother had already called the police, they came in a moment later and saw Jack standing over his father. They told him that his mother's 911 call had mentioned that he was attacking them and that she had escaped from him, before Jack could kill her too. Jack didn't do it, he wasn't even there, I'm telling you. He's innocent, give him a chance to prove it."

"There is one other small thing. He was charged and arrested, and he ran from the law. Why he wouldn't just let the trial run it's course, I don't understand that," the detective said. By this point, he could tell that Jack and Kate's relationship was a lot more involved than he had been told. He didn't believe that Jack would've told her all of this in a matter of minutes.

"Jack knows how powerful of a woman his mother is. She has ultimate control, and he knew that he didn't have a chance, at least that's what he told me. He doesn't want to go to prison when he's not even responsible for what happened," Kate explained.

"You also have a daughter correct?" he asked. Kate nodded slowly, not knowing what the next question would be. "What's her name?"

"Audrey," she answered simply.

"How old is she now? A couple months?" he asked and Kate could tell what he was trying to get out.

"Seven months, yeah. I'm sorry, what does Audrey have to do with anything?" she asked.

"Well, I noticed Audrey's last name, and now I've been following and watching Jack for awhile, I've seen him interact with Audrey a lot. Tell me the truth, Dr. Austen, is Audrey Jack's daughter?" he asked and Kate looked him straight in the eye, trying to read his thoughts, but couldn't figure him out.

"No. Jack had no contact with me until we ran into each other in Australia. He just needed a place to stay for awhile, so … I didn't see any real harm in it."

"Why didn't you contact the police? Turn him in?" he asked curiously.

"Because I told you, he's innocent. I know Jack, and I know that he didn't do anything wrong."

"Why does Audrey have Jack's last name?" he asked.

"She wasn't given Jack's last name. I had been artificially inseminated, the sperm donor, he had gotten in contact with me, his last name with Shephard, and I just thought it was fitting. Again, I don't see how Audrey's name has anything to do with Jack, it's just a coincidence, he didn't know about her until his trip to Australia."

She could tell that he was trying to look into her, and she knew that he was suspicious, but wouldn't question her further, her story was pretty believable.

"Any other questions?" she asked.

"Nope, you may leave."

"No, not until you tell me what's going on. I need to know. Now, I gave you everything I know, I answered all of your questions," Kate argued.

"We received a call, saying they had spotted Jack. Again, as I said we watched him before we finally made a move on him. He's being taken back to the United States for a proper trial."

"When? When is he leaving?" Kate asked, desperate.

"He's leaving tomorrow, Oceanic flight 815 leaving at 10:30 tomorrow morning."

"I want to see him, I want to see Jack," Kate demanded. "You owe me that much."

"Normally I can't allow anyone to talk to him, but you can speak with him just as long as I stay with you."

"Thank you. Would you mind if I used the ladies room first, I just…really have to…"

"Sure, absolutely," the detective said as he showed her the way.

"Thank you," Kate said as she made her way inside. Once inside she took out a small piece of paper which she scribbled a note to Jack quickly, explaining everything she had told the detective, and that she and Claire would be on the flight tomorrow as well.

She put the piece of paper under her shirt, she knew the detective wouldn't let her take anything in with her. That was the best way she'd be able to get Jack the note.

"Kate," Jack exclaimed as he saw her approaching his cell.

"Hey, Jack," she said nonchalantly, she didn't want to make the detective suspicious again. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. Are you all right?" he asked.

She glanced over at the detective who had turned his head for a moment to speak with a police officer. She quickly took the note out from under her shirt and slipped it into his hand. She leaned forward and whispered to him quickly, "Read it before they take you for questioning. I love you."

Before Jack could reply, she was already backing away from the bars. Jack didn't understand Kate's actions, but he went with the flow and gave Kate a smile as she prepared to leave.

"It was good to see you, Jack." Kate said as Detective Mars turned his attention back to them. He rolled his eyes, as he touched Kate's elbow gently, trying to pull her away from Jack.

"You too," Jack said as he hid the note from Mars. He watched as Kate walked away. He found it strange that she didn't even turn around to look at him again before she left. Maybe once he read her note it would make more sense.

Once Mars was out of sight, Jack laid down on the cot and laid on his stomach opening the note on the pillow, so no one could really see what he was doing.

_Jack, I hope you're reading this before they question you. I followed you guys here, I needed to know what was going on. He was very suspicious of our relationship and he asked me so many questions. I told him about the hospital, but I left out a lot. I told him that after I discharged you, you followed me home and then asked me if you'd be able to stay with me. I told him I said no, and that you then told me the whole story of your innocence. I'm sorry that I told him, but I figured if maybe he heard it from someone else, he'd begin to believe it. I know you're probably really freaked out and scared right now, but tell him the truth about what happened to you, I have a feeling he'll understand. I also told him that since that day that I "discharged" you, I haven't seen you until we ran into each other in Australia. I told him that Audrey wasn't your daughter. I'm sure you can understand my reasons for not telling him that I've been harboring you for longer than seven months. It's so risky, and I'm sorry if that seems like a selfish thing to do. He told me that tomorrow he's taking you back to the States in the morning, and just to reassure you, I will be on that flight with you. Once we get back there, we will get the best lawyer and we will fight this. I'll be with you now and forever. Know that I love you, and I can't wait to marry you._

_Love, Kate_

Jack couldn't help but be a little upset that Kate had lied about Audrey and some other things, but he was no saint either. He was completely innocent, and lied about that. He couldn't blame her for protecting herself, and him in another sense. And although he was terrified that she had told Mars the truth about the night of the murder and how he had been framed, he was so happy that it was finally out in the open and that he had a fighting chance while Kate stood by him.

A/N: I hope that chapter wasn't too confusing. Somehow it seemed a little like that while I was writing it, but I hope you guys could follow it. Next up: Jack and Kate end up on the tragic flight…and trust me, the island won't be quite the same.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

A/N: Oh man guys, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever. Since school and classes have started, I've been pretty busy. There's a lot going on at school, and I'm pretty busy majority of the time. This chapter took me like a week to write. I tried something different in this chapter too, I hope it works for everyone. Let me know what you think. I will try to get working on chapter 14, and I'm hoping that I can get a lot done within the next couple days that I should have a chapter by Saturday or Sunday, at least that is my goal. Anyway, again I apologize and here is chapter 13.

Chapter 13:

The Airport at Sydney

It was a beautiful morning. The rustle and bustle at the airport in Sydney was nothing short of normal. At least to everyone else. To Jack, it was an embarrassment. He was taken through the airport in handcuffs, and the looks from the people he passed were deadly. But he just kept his head down and tried to keep his mind on Kate and Audrey. He felt better knowing that Kate would be on the flight.

Jack knew his arrest was for the best. He had decided to stop running a long time before, he just couldn't bring himself to turn himself in. he knew somehow that things would work out, and he and Kate would get their happy ending.

He was put into a security room where Mars was trying to convince airport security he needed the case of guns for his own protection against Jack. But Jack wasn't paying attention. His mind was just telling him to keep his mouth shut from the anger that Mars was resonating within him. He was in enough trouble as it was.

The day went by in a blur. He was taken on the plane two hours before the scheduled take off, and all he did was sit there looking straight ahead, remembering all of the events of the last seven months. Kate and Audrey. That was how he would get through the long flight and the long trial that awaited him.

After waiting for what seemed like days, he saw them walk through the plane. He hoped Mars didn't see them and question them as to why they just happened to be on the same flight. But it was already too late.

Mars saw Kate and glanced to Jack. He could tell that Jack had a longing in his eyes to see Kate. A smirk played on his lips. "Did your girlfriend here come for moral support, Jack? Hmm? We'll see about that. Stay here, don't move, and please for everyone's sakes…don't do anything stupid."

That was the farthest thing from Jack's mind. As much as he hated Mars and wanted to be as far away from him as possible, he couldn't risk it. He couldn't do that to Kate or Audrey. They were his life now. It wasn't just about him anymore. They were his world.

September 22, 2004 would have been just another ordinary day for Kate Austen. Wake up beside Jack and watch him as he slept peacefully, thinking of her love for him, their love for each other, and then in hopefully the not-so-distant future their marriage and the life they would share. Then she would roll over and see her beautiful baby girl who she felt she had an incredible bond with, unlike her relationship she had with her own mother. She would watch her baby sleep and gently run her had across Audrey's face. Around that time she would hear Jack stir behind her, they'd smile, exchange in some playful banter, and then share in a sweet, tender, loving kiss. But September 22, 2004 was not one such day.

Kate had little to no sleep that night. She couldn't get Jack out of her mind. For awhile, she had cried and simply held Audrey. Audrey had a rough night as well. She noticed that something had happened to Jack. She knew he wasn't there, he was always there. She had a routine with Jack. After dinner, Kate would bathe her, she and Jack would play with her until she was put to sleep. Jack was the one who rocked her while reading her a bedtime story. She always fell asleep to the sound of his voice. That night Audrey just cried in her mother's arms making it all the more harder on Kate. Finally Kate just laid her down in her crib until she cried herself to sleep.

She went through her day, trying to keep this as normal as possible, but she couldn't. She had packed her and Audrey's things the night before, so she put them in the car and sat down on the couch. Audrey was thankfully still asleep and hopefully would be for awhile, but Kate didn't know what to do. She felt so helpless just sitting there, knowing that Jack was behind held somewhere. He was probably cold or scared, and she wanted to be there for him more than anything. By the mid morning Audrey had woken up, Kate fed her and then as soon as Claire woke, they headed to the airport. Their flight wasn't scheduled for another couple of hours, but she couldn't help but want to be there, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jack.

To keep herself occupied, they went shopping in some of the gift shops. She had enjoyed her time in Sydney, but she had nothing to show for it, except maybe a pick-up of the accent. But Kate wasn't in the mood. She just passed through the shops and would walk right back out. Finally they decided to eat something, but Kate couldn't touch anything.

"Kate, you need to eat," Claire pointed out to her. Eight month pregnant Claire, although she didn't eat more than the average pregnant woman, looked ready to savage Kate's meal as well.

"I'm not hungry, Claire. You can have it," Kate said, pushing it in her direction.

"Kate, Jack is okay. He's going to be on the flight, and soon we'll be back in Los Angeles, and you can be with Jack."

"That's the thing Claire. I can't be with Jack anymore. He's caught. I mean, I know I can hire a great lawyer, and I hate to say this, but I think Jack has dug himself a big whole. It's just a scary thought that I'll never be able to wake up beside him ever again."

Claire had never seen Kate more depressed. Kate was never like that. She was always a happy person, granted usually Jack helped with that. Whenever Kate was depressed, Claire could find a way to cheer her up, but not this time. It wasn't going to work. Nothing could help this.

Stepping onto the plane, Kate hoped to catch a glimpse of Jack. She saw him and smiled to herself, but she quickly looked away. She knew Jack had seen her as well, and that gave her a sense of calming. As long as she knew Jack was there, it made her feel just a little bit better. Kate wanted so badly to turn around steal another glance, but instead she turned her focus to Audrey. She hoped she'd sleep through much of the flight since she hadn't sleep well the night before and save the passengers from the disturbance of a temper tantrum.

She sat Audrey on the plane seat and buckled her in so that she couldn't wander off. She was putting her luggage in the overhead compartment as she felt someone come up beside her.

"Let me help you with that," he said as he took it from her.

"Thank you," she said as she turned to the man who had kindly helped her, when she recognized who it was. "Detective Mars," Kate said surprised. She had hoped he wouldn't see her, but it was too late. She plastered a smile to her face, which he accepted as a friendly gesture.

"Thanks for that," she said pointing to the compartment then continuing, "it was pretty heavy."

Mars chuckled before responding, "No problem. I was surprised to see you on this flight, Dr. Austen. I didn't think you had the intention to leave Sydney."

"We've been planning the trip for awhile. Going back to L.A. Since Audrey was born in Sydney, she hasn't had the chance to meet her grandmother yet, and I felt that it was a good time. Audrey is older now and can handle the flight," Kate couldn't believe the liar that she had turned into. Just a year before she could never tell a lie, but now most everything she said to people was a lie. For some reason, it felt good to her. Lying for the man that she loved, it just felt right for some reason.

"Oh, okay. I just thought…since you knew Jack would be on this flight…"

"No. Must just be a strange coincidence," Kate said before he gave her a deadly stare into her eyes, but she didn't back down and he believed her. "If you don't mind, I would like to get back to my daughter."

"Sorry to disturb you Dr. Austen," Mars said before he turned and went back to his seat.

Kate let out a sigh of relief and looked to where Jack sat. He sat there emotionless as he tried watching her before Mars returned. She knew he had seen what had just happened, but she gave him a nod to let him know everything was okay before she turned back to Audrey.

Jack turned to look out the window when Mars returned. He wasn't interested in anything he had to say. He wanted to just fall asleep during the flight and forget about what was happening. Dream that he was lying in bed with Kate or playing on the floor with Audrey. Anything but the hell that he had to go through now.

"Well Jack, seems your girlfriend is just visiting someone back in the states. Anything you want to tell me?"

"Well anything I say can be used against me right?" Jack asked, turning back to him. Mars nodded, surprised by Jack's question. "Well then if it's okay with you, I'm not going to say anything until we're back in Los Angeles."

"Fine by me," Mars said as he relaxed back in his seat. "Makes my job so much easier."

Jack turned back to look out the window and tried closing his eyes, but when he awoke, he found himself in a whole new world.


End file.
